


He Keeps Me Weak

by Dragons_Arent_Lost



Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not Related, Bullied Ian, Bully Barley, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29264793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragons_Arent_Lost/pseuds/Dragons_Arent_Lost
Summary: Ian has gotten used to the bullies of his high school messing with him for being the scrawniest kid they know, but when a new student comes in and reveals his form of bullying is a little different, Ian's worlds gets flipped upside down.
Relationships: Barley Lightfoot/Ian Lightfoot
Comments: 15
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my fifth story on Barley and Ian and it's once again a little different from what I normally do lol. Hope you like it.

"Hey _Ian_ , what you doin out in the halls mid class?" Stora smirked as he pushed the smaller elf against the wall. "Mr. Perfect isn't deciding to cut is he?"  
"I-I'm not cutting, I just had to use the bathroom." The elf responded. "Come on Stora, just leave me alone."  
Just as Stora grabbed hold of the smaller elf's jaw and tightened, a group of girls giggling in the distance caught their attention. Stora released the elf and scoffed. "Lucky." He mumbled before walking off, leaving Ian to release the breath he was holding in. He watched the girls pass by him, and though he knew they had no idea, he was grateful to them for being his saviors.

Ian had gotten pretty used to the constant bullying he experienced at his school. They had a routine and most of the time Ian was able to avoid them because of it, but if he wasn't he knew he had to just brace himself and go through whatever which one had planned for him. Sure it was annoying, but Ian knew that at some high schools this was just the price to pay for being the smartest but weakest kid in school. His grades and status with his teachers proved one thing, while his scrawniness and inability to stand up for himself proved another. It was inevitable, whenever people like Stora saw him they immediately felt like taking whatever insecurities they had out on him because he had little to none.  
Ian didn't care. Most of the bullying wasn't even all that bad. Occasionally he'd get his homework taken and have to re-do it, get shoved in a locker, or his attacker would just poke and pick at him, typical stuff. It never got to the point where he was getting physically beaten or getting his head flushed in a toilet. Ian had a feeling it was because he made things boring for them. He wasn't doing it intentionally, it just unraveled that way. 

"You're such a eyesore," Asmund, another bully had told him one day after trapping Ian in a school staircase after spending about three minutes chasing him through the halls. It was when Ian got tired of running he decided to just get his punishment for being smart over with. "You piss me off and everyone else too."  
"I know." Ian's response was simple and dull. Although he knew it wasn't true, he knew to play the part and give in early to avoid making the much stronger elf angry. As he looked up at him, he did his best to show a good amount of fear in his eyes. Usually this got them to stop early and spare him.  
"Give me your textbook." commanded and held out his hand.  
"But I-"  
" **Now**." He demanded. Ian took off his bag, and pulled out his literature textbook filled with papers of notes and answers. Asmund took it and skimmed through it briefly. "Chapter five and six's answers are in here?"  
"...I only did five and the beginning of six." Ian told him.  
"Hm. I'm taking this. If you want it back I'll give you three minutes to meet me by the cafe after the last bell." He said before stepping to the side. Ian nodded and quickly made his way to get past Asmund, but just before he could the elf grabbed Ian's shirt and pulled him close. "And don't you even think about ratting me out."

With that, he pushed Ian away and went off. As promised, Ian was able to get his textbook back by the end of that day. He was glad to see Asmund had decided to spare his notes and left them in with everything else. Ian knew how to behave whenever one of his bullies came around and he knew how to avoid them, some of the time, too. His friend, Sadalia, always tells them off whenever he happens to be with her when they try something dumb.  
"They're just awful!" she told him one day. "I swear I want to rip their heads off."  
"I could think of worse things than that." Ian grumbled beside her as they walked through the halls to their next classes.  
"I could imagine. It sucks how they're smart enough not to do anything in front of a teacher or dean so they'll get in trouble, and reporting them only gets them written up which they wouldn't care about."  
"I don't want to report them." Ian told her. "It just gives them the feeling that they get to me."  
"Still, sorry you have to deal with all that. It must seriously be tiring." 

Sadalia was right, it really was tiring...but Ian would be lying if he said he hated all of it. 

He didn't quite understand what it was, how it happened, or _why_ he was like this, but Ian sometimes found himself liking when the bullies would get rough with him. Granted he hated that it was them, but when he pushed the thought of who it was out of his head, he was actually able to feel a little shock of pleasure go through him. He'd never admit it to Sadalia or anyone else in the world but his heart raced when he was grabbed by his wrist, his neck, his shirt, or anywhere they grabbed him. Ian's never had a boyfriend or anyone in the matter to experience sexual thrill with but he was sure this was something that he would want. It bothered him how he discovered it, but liked that he was clever enough to know how to hide it and he also liked that his skin was easily markable. When he went home, sometimes he'd look at his wrist or other parts of him that his attacker had grabbed and he felt shivers go up his spine from remembering what it was like to be snatched.  
Like he said, Ian would never breathe a word of this to anyone. Surely he'd get bullied more...or actually less. Ian figured there would be a pro and a con to his secret being exposed; the bullies would leave him alone but mainly because they think he's some sort of weird perv. In Ian's mind, all he really had to do was make it through another two years of high school and go far away to some college where he can start fresh. It would all be over (somewhat) soon and he could definitely handle anything his school throws at him.

He hadn't thought that considered that would mean also dealing with new bullies.

"Did you hear?" Sadalia had said to him during their lunch period. Ian looked up from a book he was reading to see his best friend was eying him suspiciously.  
"Hear what?" Ian asked her.  
"You know...about the _new_ guy." She whispered as if anyone was even listening to them.  
Ian shook his head and shrugged. "What new guy?"  
"Oh my god you don't even know about him?!" She exclaimed causing Ian to roll his eyes. She must've forgotten that he doesn't pay much attention to many things in this school besides his friends and grades. He barely enjoys going to sports games, but she drags him along. "A transfer student started his first day her today."  
"Oh, that's cool. Hope he likes it." Ian said as he returned to his book.  
"That's not it," She continued. "Apparently he's a boxer, he doesn't speak much, and he's _hot_."  
"...Our school has a boxing team?"  
"That's not the point!" she groaned.  
"Do you know anything actually _about_ him?"  
"Well yes...but that's kinda the bad news." She said and Ian looked up from his book. "He's um...not so friendly."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, I wasn't there myself but I heard about it," Sadalia leans closer. " Apparently, Stora got jealous or whatever about how much everyone was talking about the new guy so he approached him. He tried his usual act tougher than most routine because you know he doesn't know how to do anything better, but it didn't go down how he thought it would. Supposedly the new guy gave him a couple of chances to back off but Stora didn't want to accept there's a new guy in charge. So...well..."

Just as Sadalia was trying to put her words together, the cafeteria doors opened. Both she and Ian looked over, and as his eyes widened Sadalia gasped. In walked Stora, but he was grumbling something under his breath and he looked agitated; it most likely had to do something with the ice patch he was holding up onto his swollen eye. He glared at anyone who looked at him for too long, so Ian quickly pretending to be reading his book as the elf walked past their table, but he found it hard not to turn back and stare. For as long as Ian could remember, Stora was the top most feared student in school. He just had this bad aura and attitude that told people not to mess with him and whatever he wanted he would get. But to think someone had struck him in such a manner and left such a visible mark, it was clear the order of things was about to change.

"So...there really is a new alpha in New Mushroomton High?" Ian asked Sadalia hoping she wasn't going to give him the answer he already knew was coming.   
"I'm afraid there is," She said. "And he must be one hell of a guy." 

Ian didn't know what to think of there being a new guy in school. It has never been a big deal in the past whenever someone new shows up but this time it was different. Everyone was talking about this mystery student and it made Ian feel like he should be too. Had something else happened that made everyone so obsessed with talking about this guy? What about him made him so special...besides the fact that he punched Stora?   
Ian hadn't seen him around anywhere. He'd be lying to say he didn't try looking around for him, thinking it wouldn't be so hard to spot him since he's supposed to be incredibly different. He didn't see anyone who seemed new and eventually he stopped looking. Instead, he enjoyed the fact that his usual bullies weren't so worried about him at the moment. The majority of the ones he's past in the halls had no sly remarks or urge to take anything from him. Instead, they seemed to be focused on the new student. Ian noticed they weren't scared, but they seemed rather intrigued. It made Ian wonder if the guy really was a bully or did Stora just really have what came to him.

Either way, Ian was sure he'd run into the guy sooner or later. Right now, he only had his mind on getting home. He had just finished changing back into his regular school from his gym uniform and as he closed his locker he took a deep breath feeling somehow relieved the day had gone by so quick. He walked to make his way out of the locker room, and as he walked he listened to the echo of his feet hitting the floor. It was quiet since he was the only one left. He softly hummed as he continued toward the exit but stopped when something suddenly caught the corner of his eye.   
Ian took a couple steps back and noticed there was a single gym bag lying on the bench. He looked around briefly but he was positive no one was in there. He turned his attention back to the bag and eyed it suspiciously. As he walked up to it he was sure he hadn't seen this bag before. It was large and seemed full. Ian poked around at it until he saw a name tag. He felt hope, knowing maybe he could just return it to which ever student left it. However, as he picked it up he couldn't exactly pinpoint who's name he was looking at. He was sure there wasn't a student who went by such in his class.   
Ian tilted his head as he read the name over. "...Barley?" He mumbled. 

"What are you doing?" Someone with a heavy voice had suddenly asked spooking Ian to his core. 

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he looked up and saw that he actually wasn't alone like he thought. Another elf, a much _bigger_ elf, stood in front of him a couple feet away. He was slightly taller, he wore black bracelets with spikes on them, and though his face was round Ian couldn't help but notice the angry scowl across it. He also couldn't help but notice that he was actually really handsome, meaning Sadalia was right. This HAD to be the new student everyone was talking about. Ian had never seen this guy before if he did he would've definitely remembered. However, as fascinated as he was, Ian had a feeling his silence wasn't coming off that way, because the larger elf began to approach him with his hands balled into fist. 

"I asked you a question." He said firmly. "What are you **doing**?"  
"U-Uuh, um..." Ian quickly straightened up. He couldn't help but remember Stora's black eye as he began to back away while being approached. "I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry I-I thought it was a misplaced bag. I didn't take anything, I-I swear."   
The large elf stopped for a brief moment to look over his bag. Within seconds, his attention was brought back to Ian and the younger elf continued to back away until he was against a set of lockers. Eventually the larger elf placed himself in front of terrified Ian who was considering sinking to the floor. He looked down at the ground and tried to control his breathing.   
"What's your deal?" He asked, causing Ian to flinch.   
"I-I just...I don't...um..."   
Ian knew he was messing this up even more for himself. He didn't even act this afraid when he was around Stora, Asmund, or anyone else who messed with him. Before he was able to say anything more, the other elf scoffed. "Too easy." he said before turning and walking away.   
"H-Huh?"  
The elf glanced at Ian before rearranging things in his bag. "You make it too easy. I bet everyone is able to walk all over you because you give them the chance, like that dickhead Stora. He tried the same shit with me, and now look at him."   
"S-So...did you hit him because you want the most power in the school?" Ian asked.   
"No, I don't care about that. He was just a troublemaker I quickly got tired of." The elf said and he made his way back over to Ian. He shook his head as he watched Ian shrink in size again. "But I'm not weak, and now he knows that. You? You're way too soft and I doubt you'll be a problem for me. That being the case, I want absolutely **nothing** to do with you." 

  
The older elf grabbed his bag off the bench and walked out of the locker room. The minute Ian heard the door close, he sunk to the ground and released the breath he was holding in. He saw the other elf's face as clear as day in his mind and his words rung in his head. 

"N...Nothing to do with me?"


	2. Chapter 2

Ian had a built up tolerance he was pretty much proud of. As small and scrawny as he was, people naturally assumed that his heart and mind must've been somewhere along the lines of small and sensitive. However, once someone began speaking with him, they'd realize he wasn't as weak hearted as they thought. No, Ian was good at not letting things get to him. Whenever his bullies messed with him of course it wasn't pleasant, but their insults and hard words went straight over his head because he knew within himself they weren't true nor did he care what they thought about him.   
However, it was weird. As much tolerance Ian had built up to negative statements and rude comments, for the first time in a while Ian found himself thinking about what the new student had said to him. After reading his name on the name tag and hearing much more about him in school once again, Ian had found out the larger elf's name was Barley. He had successfully seen him a couple times around in school now, mostly in the halls and in the one class they share together. Each time Ian found himself staring and wondering about him. He wondered what the guy thought about their school, about the students who constantly spoke about him, the group of fan girls that seemed to already form so quick, and just about the environment all together. 

He also wondered what the elf thought about Ian himself. 

"It was so weird," Ian said to Sadalia. They sat together in the far corner of the library. His friend was supposed to be doing her homework but after Ian briefly mentioned how he ran into Barley in the locker room, she immediately tossed her books to the side and wanted to hear more about it. "He like came out of nowhere and it was terrifying."   
"Is he more handsome up close?" Sadalia asked. "I heard some girl say that in my math class earlier."   
"I-I wasn't paying attention to that." Ian tells her but the wide smile forming on her face tells him that she's reading him like a book.   
His cheeks begin to darken and she grabs at them pointing out his blush. "You know you were paying attention don't liiie!"   
"R-Really! I wasn't!" He tells her and swats her hands away.   
Sadalia laughs. "Well what _did_ you notice?"  
"Well, he's like three times my size, he's not too fond of Stora's attitude, I don't think he's technically a bully but...I don't think he wants a thing to do with me."  
"Why you say that?" Sadalia asked.  
Ian shrugged. "Because he told me so. I don't know what it was but I actually got a little scared when I was alone with him. I guess he saw that and was bothered by...how easy it was to intimidate me?"  
"Aw, did you do that thing where your shoulders tense and your arms wrap around yourself, making you look like you're trying to shrink?"   
Ian feels his face heat up once more and he nudges Sadalia in her arm as she begins to laugh once more. "Anyone would've done it! He looked like he was going to kill me."   
"Well, if anything it's a good thing he won't bother you. I mean it's clear he doesn't want to make many friends." She states. "Are you bothered by him not caring about you?"  
Ian is surprised by the question but he plays it off as if he isn't. "...No. It's no big deal. Like you said, it's probably a good thing. I don't think he's really a bully but he's clearly not friendly so...it's fine that he won't bother me."

As Ian said the words, he was sure he was convincing Sadalia but he wasn't so sure he had convinced himself. He actually was a little put off by Barley's words and he wanted to know more on why the larger elf wanted nothing to do with him. He said it was because he was weak but it wasn't like Ian's weakness' would get in his way. He wasn't expecting them to be buddies or anything but it was still strange. Ian was used to people (his bullies) messing with him because of their own insecurities, but this felt different with Barley.  
Either way, Ian went on with his school life trying not to worry about it. Whenever he'd see Barley in the hall, he'd avoid eye contact, not that it mattered seeing how the older elf didn't even glance in his direction. He also did his best to seem invisible in the class they shared. He'd answer questions whenever he was called on and that was just about the most speaking Ian did in the class. The last thing he wanted to do was somehow embarrass himself and give Barley a reason to mess with him or even a slight feeling that it would be alright.

However, Ian's already existing issues made that hard at times. In the one class he shared with Barley, there was one other student, Kladd, who would mess with Ian. The bully didn't do it as often, since he wasn't as careful as the others and had a habit of getting in trouble. However, it seemed Kladd wanted to test his lucky today. As Ian was turning a page in his textbook, he felt nothing soft hit the back of his head. He ran his fingers through his hair, thinking it was his imagination or maybe a bug landed on him. When he felt there was nothing there, he returned to his work. But within a couple more seconds, Ian jumped as he felt something hit his head again, this time a little more tough.   
As Ian looked to the ground on his left side, he noticed a paper ball that wasn't there before. He sighed to himself, having an idea in his head of what was possibly happening. He looked in the reflection of his phone and surely saw Kladd, looking completely bored as he balled up looseleaf and tossed it In Ian's direction. Once another paper ball hit Ian's head, he groaned. Normally someone would've noticed by now and said something about it, but the from what Ian could see in the reflection was everyone behind him looked practically dead as their attention was elsewhere or they were basically asleep. He figured that meant this was all his to deal with alone.  
However, as Ian continued looking into his phones reflection, he did notice that one elf had their eyes wide open and was actually looking straight at Kladd. Barley watched him ball up more paper and toss it at Ian. As the ball hit his shoulder this time, Ian didn't flinch as he watched Barley's reaction. He was thrown off as the elf scoffed and shook his head. It was a reaction, Ian has seen before sometimes by other classmates, usually directed towards his attackers, but it seemed Barley's was directed at Ian, and something about it he didn't like.

Ian decided he was going to do something about it. It wasn't like he couldn't go the entire class just ignoring Kladd but the look on Barley's face annoyed him. He felt like the older elf was still judging him and it was something Ian was used to from jerks but not ones that BARELY knew a thing about him. He just had to prove that their was a reason he was considered the smartest in school.   
Ian looked up and noticed **Althea** Longheart sat in front of him today and as per usual she was more focused on fixing her long Rapunzel-like hair rather than the lesson. As Ian looked back in his phone's reflection and watched as Kladd pulled out yet another sheet of paper.   
Ian waited.  
As Kladd balled the paper, Ian moved his pencil to the side of his desk.   
When the elf's arm extended back to throw it, Ian dropped the pencil to the ground.   
Once he saw the ball get tossed into the air, he dropped his phone and ducked to get his pencil.  
The ball hit Althea in the back of her head and when she gasped, Ian smirked. 

She turned around in her seat with an angry scowl on her face. She looked at Ian. " **Who** did that?" She asked him.  
He immediately pointed behind him in Kladd's direction, loving the fact that she automatically knew it wasn't him. He watched her face contort and she groaned as she raised her hand. "Kladd's throwing paper balls and being super annoying!" She shouted grabbing everyone's attention, including the teachers.   
He looked at the back of the classroom and sure enough, Kladd wasn't quick enough to hide his stuff. "Kladd, you care to explain what you're doing?" Their teacher asked.   
Ian could imagine the baffled look on Kladd's face as he heard him stutter. "I-It's not my fault!" he told him, but their teacher frowned.   
"So all those paper balls on your desk are from someone else."  
"Well...no, but I didn't mean to hit _her_!"  
"But you were aiming for someone else?" He asked and Ian hummed to himself.   
"W-Well..."  
"That's enough, you'll be in detention after school and since you like dirtying them so much you can help the other misbehaved students clean the classrooms." He told Kladd before returning to the chalkboard.   
Ian could hear Kladd groan and he sighed in relief to himself, knowing that he won. Curiosity got the best of him and he turned to look at Barley in the back. He immediately returned to facing forward the moment the larger elf made it clear that he had been watching Ian too. 

  
The rest of the day flew by quick. Kladd did find Ian later in the day and he wasn't so happy. He swore that he'd be making Ian pay the next day at school and the smaller elf sighed to himself, knowing that meant he most likely had something bad planned for him. Bullies rarely planned out how they were going to mess with people, but when they did it was usually something worse than what they normally do.   
As Ian got out of his last class which was gym, he thought about how he could possibly avoid seeing Kladd tomorrow. This was the main reason why he usually didn't react or do anything back when people messed with him, they'd just become angrier at the fact that Ian truly was smarter. He sighed to himself and wished he didn't try to prove himself. Now looking back at it, it wasn't even worth it.   
Ian walked through the locker room and saw it was empty. Most of the guys he had gym with were quick with their showers and changing. Ian shared his gym class with Stora and Asmund, but he was grateful they didn't take a chance and mess with him while their gym teacher was around, and that guy was ALWAYS around. So much so that Ian was sure that even he couldn't pull off a clever way at getting them back without being caught. No matter; he was just glad they didn't waste their time waiting around for him to finish changing. Ian walked through the locker room hoping to just grab his bag and just go home. The first thing he'd do is sleep.

However, as Ian turned down an aisle to get his bag, he stopped dead in his tracks when he once again saw he wasn't alone. Barley, who was rummaging through his bag, spotted the smaller elf and stood up straight. He eyed Ian as the small elf naturally took a couple steps back and shrunk in height.   
"That's your bag, right?" Barley asked and pointed to the bag in a locker.   
Ian nodded. "Y-Yeah."  
"Then get it and go already."   
Ian did his best to ignore Barley's harsh tone as he walked over to his locker. As he fiddled with the lock he wondered how he failed to notice Barley was in here. For someone as large as he was, you'd think it'd be easy to know when he was around. He tried emptying his mind and just focusing on grabbing his bag, packing what he needed and going. Just as he was loading a textbook from his locker into his bag, Barley scoffed.   
"You know what you did today won't keep working."  
Ian froze for a moment, but kept his eyes planted on his bag. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Don't play dumb, because clearly you're not," Barley says. "I'll admit, how you got that jackass to stop throwing shit at you was clever, but it wasn't enough."  
"...What do you mean?" Ian asked.   
"Surely you know he's going to get his revenge don't you?" The larger elf says and Ian can't tell if there's amusement in his voice or not. "Stora told me Kladd's planning to finally give you the beating you've apparently deserved for a while now. I'm sure the rest of your _fan_ club is gonna want to help him." 

Ian's blood immediately went cold as he thought about what Barley had said. Kladd...was actually going to fight him, and his other bullies were gonna help? It was the last thing Ian thought was going to happen because they've never wanted to actually damage him before, but apparently he was wrong. Ian was positive he wasn't going to survive that, but in this moment he couldn't let his panic show. He's never had before and he wouldn't start now for anyone.

He turned to Barley. "Stora? You're friends with him now?"   
"Friend is a strong word. I've formed a truce with him only so I can know what I want about this school." Barley states. "And I found out you're their main punching bag."  
Ian couldn't help but start to feel frustrated. "W-Whatever, I'll be fine." he told him as he packed his bag faster.   
"My point in telling you about their plan is point out how you're **not** going to be fine." Barley said. "They'll break you within the first five seconds."   
"Why, 'cause I'm small?" Ian asked clearly annoyed but Barley didn't seem to care.   
"Exactly. Stop kidding yourself; you're better off just transferring sch-"   
"You don't know a thing about me." Ian snapped with venom in his tone. "I've worked _far_ too hard in this school to let some jerks like you push me out of it!"   
Ian gasped at his words and his eyes widened. He didn't know what had come over him or where his outbreak came from, he just snapped once he heard Barley mention transferring. It was a topic that really bothered Ian whenever Sadalia or his mother brought it up in the past. Like he said, he worked too hard to leave such a great school...but the look Barley had over his face had him reconsidering. It was clear the larger elf wasn't happy with Ian's tone and the smaller elf found himself frozen. However, once Barley started walking over to him, Ian naturally began taking steps back.  
"Guys like you piss me off." He growls. "You're so small but you think you can handle everything yourself. It's **annoying**."   
"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to-" Ian hisses through his teeth when Barley grabs at his wrist.   
"Save it, no point in apologizing now." Barley snaps and pulls Ian slightly closer. "You're tough enough to do everything yourself right? Break free from me right now. I won't even move."   
Ian immediately tries yanking his arm out of Barley's grasp but it feels damn near impossible. "Please, j-just let go."   
"No. Do it yourself." Barley tells him and continues to watch Ian struggle. "Try harder!"  
"I can't!" Ian whines and his immediate next action is to sink his nails into the older elf's arm. It's an action he immediately regrets as Barley tightens his grip and pushes Ian back against the lockers.   
" **No scratching**." He gets in Ian's face and warns.  
He lifts Ian's arm above his head and the smaller elf tries hiding his face. His heart races for a number of reasons and he can't make it stop. Heat travels through his face as he feels blood rush throughout his body. He has to hold his breath from letting out anything that would give away what he feels. As scary as the experience was, the deepest parts of Ian loved how Barley had him. None of the other bullies had ever demonstrated strength like this on him and he was positive it was because they didn't have it. Ian prays Barley doesn't look down and notice just how much Ian enjoys being manhandled.   
"I...I can't.." He manages to mumble out. "Y-You have to let me go."   
"I already told you I wasn't, not until you break free yourself. I'm going to **break** that stupid spirit in you that makes you feel you don't need help." He tells him and it only makes Ian want to see what he means. "Hey, look at me when I talk to you."

Barley uses his free hand to grab Ian by his jaw and force him to face him. The minute he does, he stiffens and his eyes widen when he sees how the smaller elf had changed. His breathing was irregular, his eyes were half lidded, and he seem to have a blush that Barley was sure wasn't there before. "What the hell?" He mumbled to himself as he removed his hand from Ian's jaw. He moved up to his ear, fascinated that he could feel the heat coming off them.   
With his free hand Ian tries pushing Barley away but it doesn't work. "D-Don't..."  
Barley ignores him. He continues to move his fingers along Ian's skin, tracing his neck, collar bones and shoulders, basically where he can feel the radiating heat. Ian continues trying to push Barley away but he can't get him to budge. He wants to get away before Barley figures out what's going on with him, but he knows it's too late the minute he feels Barley's hand on his chest. He wasn't sure if it was unintentional or not, but as Barley's thumb rubbed against his nipple he yelped as his back arched and his body went weak. 

This was NOT how he imagined he'd come for the first time by someone else's hand. 

"Holy _shit_ ," Barley mumbled before looking into Ian's glazed eyes. "You-"   
Before he could finish, the sound of keys startled them both. Barley released Ian and the smaller elf took the opportunity to get away. He grabbed his bag and quickly left the aisle where Barley still stood. Ian walked FAST as he headed straight to the locker room exit. He held his bag against his chest, desperately needing something to hold in order to calm down over what just happened. 

Barley seemed to be right, Ian had _no idea_ how he was going to be alright tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have the next chapter out as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing these so much lol

"Oh my god, oh my god, you're such an idiot!" Ian mumbled to himself. "For someone who's supposed to be so smart, you're such an idiot."

The small elf currently walked through the halls on his own. It was his lunch period and he had told Sadalia beforehand that he wasn't going to be there. When she asked why, he told her he was going to be helping a teacher with a classroom project. She believed him seeing how it sounded like something he'd really do, but it wasn't the truth. Ian knew he shared lunch with Stora, which meant the kid had probably told Kladd where he could easily be found. To avoid running into any of his attackers, he chose to walk the halls during this free time. 

Ian constantly looked behind him and peeked down halls before he walked through them. His heart raced and really didn't want to be caught off guard by Kladd. He actually didn't want to see anybody, _especially_ not the person who had given him the warning in the first place. He felt it was going to be more of a nightmare to run into Barley rather than anyone else who actually had plans to hurt him. He had no idea how he'd be able to function around the larger elf again. It goes without say that Ian's never been more embarrassed with himself in his life. He didn't even feel comfortable taking the bus home that day; he ran home full sprint, hoping the adrenaline would get his nerves to calm down. Unfortunately, Ian still felt antsy when he reached his home. His mother asked him what happened but he knew he was never going to tell her.   
Now Barley knew his secret, or at least Ian thinks he does. He didn't stick around long enough to confirm it but he was sure he saw disgust in Barley's face. Ian would've probably reacted the same way. He was supposed to be scared and frustrated but instead he was turned on by someone he barely even knew. Ian shivered at the thought of what Barley would do with such information. Would he tell the whole school that Ian was a pervert? Would he beat him down himself the next time he saw him? The younger elf tried shaking such terrible thoughts out of his mind. He couldn't focus on that; right now his main objective was to stay out of sight of-

***BAM***

Before he knew what happened Ian found himself on the ground lying on his back. He groaned and brought his hands up to hold his nose, which was starting to bleed a bit. Ian slowly opened his eyes and saw that it had been a door that had opened and struck him in the face. Although in pain, he sat up, wiped the blood off his upper lip, and thanked the heavens that he wasn't actually punched. But little did Ian know, he wasn't that lucky. He moved to stand up but froze once he saw who had opened the door.  
"Oh shit, sorry man are you alr-" Kladd had said as he walked out into the hall but cut himself once he saw who he had hit. A part of Ian wanted to laugh at the fact that the bully could find it in himself to apologize to anyone and everyone else except Ian, but his fear didn't allow him to even chuckle one Kladd grinned widely. "Well, what's this? You decided to take your beating early?"   
"S-Shit..." Ian mumbled and began to slowly move away.   
Kladd seemed to notice. "Hey guys! Come here!"   
"What?" Panic filled Ian's body as he heard both Stora AND Asmund answer and approach. It was true, they really were going to hurt him _together_.   
He refused to make it easy. Ian quickly hopped to his feet and began running. "Get him!!" He heard Kladd shout from behind him and when he turned to look, all three of his attackers were after him. 

As his heart raced, Ian tried not to let his mind do the same thing. If his thoughts became mixed up he would most likely make a mistake that would ultimately cause him to be caught. However, it was harder than he thought. This was the first for Ian, where all _three_ bullies were after him at once and all three of them wanted to physically cause him pain. He began to regret choosing to roam the halls instead of going to lunch. If anything nothing would've possibly happened _in_ the cafeteria since there would be other students and at least one dean around to get in Kladd's way. As Ian looked around, there was nobody. Everyone was in their class and out of sight.   
Ian continued to turn halls trying his best to get away but he hadn't lost them. He refused to scream for help because it would only give Kladd and the other two the sense that they really got to him, and he hated that thought more than getting beat up. However, finally Ian's clouded mind had caught up with him and he turned down a dead end hallway, a useless part of the school if you asked Ian. He saw their was a stairwell that he could go into, but how long would he last running up and down steps? If anything it would only cause him to grow tired much faster. Plus, the beating could be ten times worse if they decided to throw him down them. 

Ian thought about his options but he knew it was too late the minute he heard his attackers close in on him. As he turned around, Stora, Asmund, and Kladd turned the corner and grinned at him. Ian felt his heart drop and blood go cold. "No..." He whispered to himself.   
"You're quick," Stora told him as they caught their breath. Kladd began walking towards Ian and the smaller elf backed away. "But not that quick."  
"P-Please, I'm sorry okay?" Ian tried pleading as he continued to back away. "I-I didn't mean to get you in trouble!"  
"You fuckin liar," Kladd snaps. "You knew exactly what you were doin."  
"N-No that's not true, I just wanted you to stop." Ian gasped as Kladd grabbed his shirt and threw him against the wall. "I-I swear, I just wanted you to stop. I-I'll never stick up for myself again, I promise."   
"A little too late for that," Kladd says as his grip tightens on Ian's shirt. "Thanks to you I had to scrape gum off the bottom of desk!"   
"I-I'm sorry..." Ian mumbled close to the point of tears. He really had no clue how he'd explain a black eye and whatever other wounds he'd receive to his mother. "I'm really really sorry."   
"Uh...Kladd?" Asmund suddenly spoke up.   
"You've been getting away with far too much for far too long." Kladd tells Ian ignoring his friend.   
"I-I won't cause anymore harm i-if you just let me go." Ian tells him.  
"Kladd." Asmund says again. Kladd ignores him but Ian can't help but glance at the other two bullies. His eyes widen and he gasps when he sees why they're calling to him.   
"I'm gonna make sure you remember this for a while." Kladd tells him and he raises his fist.   
"Kladd!" Stora shouts.   
" _What?!_ " 

As Kladd turned around he was immediately silent once he saw that Barley was right behind him, and he did _not_ look happy.   
"Drop him." He says and Ian watches and waits for whatever will come next.   
"Aw come on man," Kladd says sounding extremely disappointed. "We're kinda in the middle-"  
"Let him _go_." Barley demands firmly and this time Kladd gets the message. He groans but releases Ian, causing the smaller elf to fall to the floor and immediately push himself back into the corner. He can't stop trembling as Barley walks over and kneels down in front of him.   
"Told you you wouldn't be alright." He says and Ian can't bring himself to say anything back. He just continues to tremble in the corner. Barley watches him for a moment before turning to the other three. "Listen up, from today on this one's off limits. You can't mess with him anymore, not even a little."   
Ian looked up at Barley and while he seemed confused, his bullies seemed shocked. "What?! That's not fair he's the only one who's actually fun to-"  
"I'm not gonna say it again; _This_ is **mine**. **Don't** touch it." Barley warns.   
Asmund nods first, Stora rolls his eyes but does the same, and Kladd groans. "...Fine."   
Barley glances down at Ian and spots him wiping the remainder of the blood off his upper lip. The larger elf turns back to Kladd and before anyone knows what's happening, he grabs at the other elf's shirt and gets in his face. "Who made his nose bleed?" Barley asks menacingly.   
"C-Come on man, that was actually an accident!" He tells him but it's clear Barley thinks otherwise as he raises his fist.   
" **Bullshit**."   
Ian realizes what Barley's about to do and he can't help but say something. "No don't! I-It really wasn't on purpose! I-I walked into the door that opened. Don't...don't do it." Ian begs softly and his plea makes Barley lower his fist and release Kladd.   
"Fine. Get outta here already." he tells the bullies and they all turn and go; Kladd being the unhappiest. As they walk off, Ian can hear Stora and Asmund laughing at him while Kladd yells at them to cut it out. 

Within seconds, Ian is left alone with Barley and he can't bring himself to leave the corner or look up at the larger elf, even with his nose still bleeding. He squeezes himself impossibly further into the corner when Barley walks over and kneels in front of him again.   
"You look terrible." He tells him.   
Ian remains silent and stares at the ground.   
"You can walk, right?"   
Again, Ian says nothing. He shuts his eyes and just waits for Barley to disappear. He hopes when he hears the larger elf sigh, that means he really is going to be left alone, but he gets a different impression when he feels something wrap around him. Ian's eyes shoot open once he's hoisted in the air bridal style by Barley. He gasps and immediately tries getting down. However, Barley doesn't allow him. He carries Ian throughout the hall with ease. When the bell rings, Ian begins to see student's leave their classrooms and of course the first thing they notice is the new guy carrying the smallest elf in school like a baby.   
"P-Put me down! This is embarrassing!" Ian tells Barley but the other elf scoffs.   
"Should've thought of that before ignoring me." He says. "Now sit still and stop moving."   
Heat quickly makes its way to Ian's face and he has no choice but to hide it in Barley's chest. "Can this day get any worse?" He whispers to himself and allows Barley to take him wherever they're going. 

  
It was only till Ian feel himself be lowered onto a bench did he open his eyes to see he was in the locker room. He felt it was strangely quiet but he remembered that class had started not too long ago, so everyone was most likely in the gym. That also meant that Ian was currently missing a class right now, potentially ruining his perfect attendance streak. He mentally kicked himself for it, but he knew with his nose still dropping tiny bits of blood, he could easily get an excusable pass, but only if he moved quick.  
"I-I gotta go," Ian said and tried to stand up but Barley gripped his shoulders and made him remain seated. "I-I have to get to-"  
"Stay there." Barley tells him before turning to a locker and removing his bag. Ian watched the larger elf dig through his belongings. He pulled out band-aids and wet wipes which he some into small pieces. He then unwrapped the band-aid and placed it over the small bruise on the bridge of Ian's nose.   
"W-Why are you helping me?" Ian asked him. "Why _did_ you help me with Kladd?"  
"Because I knew you'd be too weak to handle it on your own." He says and Ian feels embarrassment all over. He lowers his head as the image of himself curled up in the corner fills his mind and he can't help but agree with Barley. He really wasn't strong at all. He was about to say something along the lines of thank you when he noticed Barley was suddenly really close. "I also wanted to see something about **this**."

"About wha-" Before Ian could react, Barley shoved him down so he was lying on his back. He climbed on top of him and without a word or warning, he yanked Ian's shirt up and grabbed at his chest. "A-Aah!"   
"Come on, show me again." Barley mumbles and he flicks at Ian's nipples. The smaller elf gasps and immediately tries pushing Barley away.   
"S-St...op..." Ian can't focus as he feels it happening all over again. His entire body heats up, his breathing changes, and he suddenly feels weak. Within no time, he stops fighting against Barley, making it clear he's completely vulnerable.  
"I knew it," Barley says and smirks. "You're like the definition of sensitive."  
Ian can only moan in response as Barley continues to play with him. Ian can't tell if a couple of seconds or a full minute go by before Barley releases him. The smaller elf takes the moment to breathe and tries not to think about his disappointment. Instead he quickly sits up and adjusts his closing. "W-What the hell!" he shouts although his face is still covered in a dark blue blush.   
"What?"  
"I didn't give you permission to do that!" Ian snaps.  
"You didn't give me permission yesterday either and you ended up cumming in your pants."   
Ian turns away from him, his embarrassment growing by the second. "I didn't...I didn't do anything yesterday because you wouldn't let me go."  
"When Stora and those other jerks push you around, do you get off to that too?" Barley asks and Ian's eyes widen. "Or is it only m-"  
"Do **not** ask me that **ever** again." Ian looks into Barley's eyes and for the first time he feels no fear. That was something the larger elf had no business asking and he knew it; Ian could tell from the wide grin on his face.   
Barley snickered before returning his attention to his bag. He hands Ian the wet wipes and begin packing everything else. "Well, it doesn't matter. That all stops today since I've already claimed you."   
"First off, I don't belong to you." Ian states and he wipes the dried up blood from his nose. "And second, why did you even do that?!"  
Barley turns to Ian. "I'm sure you already know this from people talking, but I transferred here to make a name for myself as one of new mushroomtown's best student boxers. The school gladly took me because my record is nothing ever before seen. I don't **lose** , and as long as I stay winning I can do big things someday."   
"Okay...so?"  
"...I'm not the best student. My grades can get in the way of me performing for the school, so that's where you come in. I know you're the smartest elf in this building and with you doing some of my assignments, at least the hard ones, I can continue to box without a problem."  
Ian glared at the larger elf who automatically assumed he was going to be okay with this. "I am _not_ helping you with your homework and assignments."   
"See, you say that," Barley moves in on Ian again and the smaller elf feels trapped when Barley pulls him closer. "But I know your secret; that you get off from being manhandled. Also I'm the only thing standing in between you and the maniacs of this school. So, it's either do what I'm asking you to or you better believe there'll be consequences."

Ian ran Barley's words over in his head. This had to be some sort of nightmare. Surely he would give anything to wake up, but the more he looked into the larger elf's eyes, the more he was able to see that this was really happening and he really didn't have a choice.   
"This has to be the worst day of my life." Ian whispers to himself but Barley overhears and laughs.   
"Or, it could be the best." Barley pulls Ian into his lap and rubs his thumb on the outline of Ian's ear. He watches as the younger elf squirms and shies away from him. "Now, you answer to **me**."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there's a lot of typos in this one I was kinda in a rush to post it.

Sadalia's eyes widened. Her body froze and she had dropped the chip she was about the eat on the ground. Ian watched her and waited patiently for her to say something because he knew if she just told him what he did, he'd have the same reaction. Finally after what seemed like a full minute of gawking at him, Sadalia finally spoke.   
"... _What?!_ " She shouted. "Like, wait, seriously?!"  
"I know! It's insane right?!" Ian shouted back. "It's crazy, _he's_ crazy!"

They currently stood in a stairwell, a spot Ian recommended because he couldn't tell her what he had to in the cafeteria just in case her reaction was too much. As they were eating lunch she noticed Stora and Asmund giving Ian funny faces and when she asked why, that's when he escorted her out. He filled her in on their attempt to beat the snot out of him, Barley being a temporary savior, and then Barley's new set of plans for Ian. The whole time Sadalia listened patiently and completely interested as she ate a bag of chips. Only when Ian was done did she react the way she did and Ian knew it was coming.   
Ian still couldn't believe the situation himself. He had went to sleep that night hoping it was all a joke, but the next morning Barley found him early and told him from now on Ian would be skipping some of his study hall periods to sit with Barley during his lunch period to do assignments. Ian had asked if he could just do them by himself during his study period but Barley refused to let him.   
"If I can't see where you are then I won't be able to help you if someone approaches you." He tells him. "When you're with me you're safe."  
"But no one's ever messed with me in study hall." Ian insisted. "I doubt anyone would start today."  
"And you doubted Kladd would ever actually hit you, yet here we are."  
Ian had been upset with Barley's words but the larger elf was right and he knew it. If Kladd ever did start catching him alone, surely he would mess with Ian knowing the smaller elf was still to new to the whole experience of having a bodyguard. If Kladd or anyone else would get him, Ian would most likely keep it to himself because telling Barley would look like he wanted the extra help. 

" _Wow_ ," Sadalia gasped with a wide smile across her face. "This is nuts!"  
"You don't seem all that riled up over it." Ian said.  
"Well I am...just probably not in the same way you are." She said giggling.  
"Sadaliaaa."   
"Iaaann," She groaned back. "If you really step back and look at it it's not that bad. You have your own personal bodyguard and all he asks in return is for you to do a couple of assignments that are probably child's play for you."   
"It was less of asking and more of _threatening_." Ian tells her.  
"How could he threaten you? It's not like he has some sort of dirt on you. All he knows is that you're picked on a lot; him spreading that around the school would be pointless."

Ian swallowed the lump in his throat as he remembered that he didn't tell Sadalia the entire story. As the memory of Barley pushing him down and lifting his shirt filled his mind, he knew he **definitely** wasn't telling her the full story. When he went home that day he immediately ran to his room and hid his face for the rest of the evening; embarrassed that Barley knew and ashamed that he still wanted more of it. He hid his face in his pillow and thought about Barley's hands all over his skin rubbing all the right places and he was disgusted that he wanted Barley to bring him _there_ again. No one had ever made Ian feel that way and he couldn't believe it was someone so infuriating. The last thing Ian wanted was for everyone to know how easy Barley made him turn into jelly by his hands. Though he didn't want to, he'd gladly do a couple of assignments to make sure that truth never got out. 

"I...I guess it wasn't so much of a threat." Ian told her.  
"Seeee? It'll be alright. In fact I have a feeling this really will turn out in your favor." Sadalia said.  
Ian contorted his face and tilted his head at her. "How so?"  
"I don't know, I just feel like it will. I don't think this Barley guy is like the others. He might be huge and a bit scary at times but I don't think he'd spread rumors or even really wanna hurt you Ian."   
Ian sighed and considered his friends words. He couldn't see what she meant, but he just hoped she knew what she was talking about.

  
Even with Sadalia comforting and telling him that he had nothing to worry about, Ian still felt weird as he made his way to the cafeteria for the second time in the day. He hated that he had to leave study hall to come here, seeing how the library was especially quiet around this time of day. But it was either leave himself or wait of barley to come and get him. Ian decided to make it easy on himself and just meet the larger elf where he asked him to.   
as he walked into the cafe he immediately spotted Barley right away. As he walked over, he ran quick reminders over in his head.   
"Don't do more than he asks, don't let him see he can get to you, don't feel anything when he speaks to you." Ian mumbled to himself. he ran the words over and over, but as he got closer he was able to spot some more familiar faces. Ian's heart temporarily stopped when he spotted Asmund and Kladd sitting across from Barley. Before he could stop and turn around, all three of them spotted him.   
All Ian could do was glare as Barley smirked and the two bullies groaned. "Great, _he's_ here." Kladd mumbled.  
"Not because I want to be," Ian tells Kladd before looking directly at Barley. "Safe, huh?"  
"You are safe," he tells him before looking at the two who sat across from him. "They have no intention of bothering you anymore, _right_?"  
"Whatever, I don't really care anymore."   
"You seemed to care the other day when you were gonna knock me around." Ian says as he sits besides Barley at the table.   
"That was different, you were practically asking for it."   
"We weren't really going to hurt you," Asmund chuckles through his grin. "We just wanted to scare you a bit and it seems it worked. Now, you got this brute lookin after you."   
Barley lifts his middle finger to Asmund without turning away from his food. Ian scoffs as they laugh. He turns to Barley and makes a sour face. "Why do you hang out with these guys if you're so different?"  
"I am different, and _they_ hang out _me_. I guess besides messing with the weak, I do have a couple of things in common with them." Barley tells him. "Be happy; whenever I'm with them some innocent kid is ninety-nine less likely to get picked on."   
Ian didn't feel like giving Barley the satisfaction of knowing he was actually kind of impressed. Instead Ian took out his pens and paper. "Whatever, can I just please do your first assignment and go?"

Barley stared at Ian for a brief moment before turning to his bag and digging through it. After a minute, he pulls out a stack of papers and holds them out to Ian. "Here."  
Ian takes them and as he holds them he notices it feels a little heavy to be one assignment. It's when he begins going through them he realizes it's really _several_ assignments that Barley hadn't mentioned. Ian scoffs in bafflement before turning to Barley.  
"What is this?" He asks.  
"Assignments." he says unbothered.   
"T-There's like nine different ones here, all from different classes!" Ian says. "I thought you said I'd only be doing a few here and there."  
"You will be," Barley rolls his eyes and looks down at the smaller elf who seems frazzled. "I just have to make these ones up first, they're assignments I forgot to do."  
"What?!"   
Ian's frustration only grew stronger as Kladd and Asmund began to chuckle. "Wow, that sucks man." Kladd says.  
"You should've hired me as your bodyguard, I would've had less work for you to do." Asmund adds.   
"As if you could keep your two maniacs for friends from messing with him." Barley adds and Asmund shrugs as if to agree.   
" _Barley_ ," Ian glares at the large elf to turns to look at him. "This was _not_ apart of the agreement. I-It's too much! I'm never gonna get all of this done right now and you-"  
Before Ian could finish, he jolted in surprise as Barley's hand found its way to his inner thigh and pulled him to sit closer. He leaned down and whispered right into his ear. "Don't worry about finishing it all now, just do what you can and bring the rest to me later. If you can do that, I promise there will be a reward. Now be a good boy and start."   
Ian swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath to distract himself from the feeling of being so close to the larger elf. He could move back if he wanted to because Barley's hand held him in place. Ian glanced at Asmund and Kladd who seemed to be watching in bafflement. Ian felt his face heat up and it seemed he had no choice but to open up Barley's first assignment and bury his face in it, trying to desperately hide his arousal. He heard Barley chuckle and he flashed his desperate wide eyes at him hoping he'd get him to stop laughing.   
"Wow, that easy huh?" Kladd asked and Barley tossed a piece of bread at him.   
"For me," he responded and they groaned. "You two don't ask him for shit."

  
It was way after school hours and Ian had texted his mother five times that he was fine and still at school. She had been worried because it was rare for him to stay after hours, especially for anything that wasn't study's related. When she asked what he was doing, he just informed her that he was going to watch a boxing match with Sadalia.   
"Boxing?" She said over the phone when he called the first time. "That's new, you're usually not into something so...rough."  
"I know, but it's kind of Sadalia's thing to watch guys punch each other." he told her and his friend who stood right next to him nudged him in his arm.   
What Ian _didn't_ tell his mom was that he actually was only attending the match because right after he was to give Barley the rest of his work. Earlier during the large elf's lunch period, Ian saw that the work was relatively easy, it was just too much to finish at that time like he said. Barley had informed him that he had his first match after school so he could give it to him then. Ian had agreed to go, mainly because Barley made it clear he wanted the work today and Sadalia really wanted to see the match.  
"This is so fun!" She said as they took their seats in the gym. "Looks like everyone wanted to see what your friends' made of."   
"He's not my friend," Ian corrected her as he looked around and saw that indeed the gym was packed with students. They must've all heard the morning announcements announcing the boxing teams fight or they must've heard it from Barley's already formed fan club. "But yeah, a lot of people came out to this."  
"You're not excited?" She asked and he scoffed  
"No, for what? I just want to give him his work and go home."   
"You're such a little liar, I love it." She said and nuzzled against him as he tried to fight her off. 

Ian really didn't want to be there. Most of the room was filled with the loud portion of the schools students and girls who just like Sadalia just wanted to see guys box. Ian was proven correct when the fights began. There were three set up for that night and the first two dragged. Ian flinched and contorted his face as he watched students he recognized fight against the opposing school. He had to admit it was almost interesting to watch but he could never watch for too long or picture himself up there. The first boxer had won his match and everyone had cheered. The second had lost but still everyone was proud of how hard he tried; even Ian clapped to show his support.   
The third match had come up, and everyone knew it was Barley's turn. Once the elf stepped out, everyone went wild and apart of Ian was happy for Barley but confused. How is it that everyone here is in so much favor of Barley? Did they know something about him that Ian didn't? Ian didn't have time to think about it before Sadalia shook his arm.   
"Here we go! Main event!" She squealed and Ian faked gagged.   
"You look like one of his fan girls that don't even know his last name." Ian said and pointed to a group of females howling Barley's name as he got in the ring.   
"Do _you_ know his last name?" Sadalia raised a brow at him and Ian shrugged.   
"I'm not a fan, I don't have to."   
"Oh hush you buzzkill." She nudged him again before turning back to the ring. 

Ian did the same. He really didn't get it but he had to admit the look in Barley's eye was pretty intense. He looked locked on his opponent and he didn't turn away even as the referee was explaining the rules. Ian felt inferior just looking at Barley. Just from his gaze he could practically feel the larger elf's strength in the air. A bell soon went off, signaling the start of the fight. Suddenly, Ian no longer felt he could watch. He knew he was able to bear the other matches because they didn't feel as intense, but seeing Barley up there made Ian nervous. He wouldn't say it was because he cared for him, it was just different seeing someone you knew fight.   
He saw the opponent from the other school lift his arm and swing. Ian immediately gasped and closed his eyes for a second. The minute they shut, everything went silent and Ian couldn't stop his nerves from riling him up. 

However, once Ian opened his eyes a moment later, Barley stood tall with a grin on his face...while the other guy was on the floor out cold. 

All at once, everyone in the gym hopped to their feat and screamed. The cheers were so loud it made it hard to Ian to process what just happened. Sadalia had turned to him, grabbed his arms and jumped up and down. "He won, he won! New Mushroomton won!" She sung.   
"H-How?!" Ian asked. "W-When?! I didn't even see him move!"   
"Because your eyes were closed silly!" She laughed. "But trust me he was _fast_."   
"He was?"   
"Yup! Trust me Ian you stick to that guys side and not a soul will mess with you ever again." She said. 

Ian couldn't believe it. It made perfect sense now as to why everyone in the room was so excited. Ian was glad he didn't witness it but the guy laying out on the floor must've really not been ready to take a blow from Barley. Ian couldn't even blame it on size because the opponent wasn't that far away from Barley. This means Ian's new bodyguard was just crazy strong. He found himself staring at the larger elf and he had no doubt that Barley truly never lost. 

Just before he could look away, Ian caught Barley's eye. He jumped and froze when he saw the aggression and power still there, and he still found it hard to relax as Barley smirked and winked at him. Ian lowered his head and squeezed Barley's work against his chest. As much as he thought he was, Ian realized he _really_ wasn't ready to give Barley his work. 

As expected Ian waited in the locker room for Barley. He sat in the far back, hoping not to catch the attention of the other student athletes. it didn't take long for them to clear out but as they all left, the room began to grow quieter and quieter. Ian started to wonder if he was supposed to meet Barley somewhere else or did the larger elf just leave him behind? To distract himself, Ian began counting the lockers. He had gotten to one hundred and six before he heard the sound of someone clearing there throat.   
Ian froze hoping this was who he was waiting for and sure enough, it was. Barley appeared around the corner and groaned when he saw Ian sitting on the bench. " _Finally_ , I was looking all over for you." He said.  
"Where else was I supposed to meet you?" Ian asked. "Your stuff is in here."   
"Well everyone else was out there, I thought you'd be with them."  
" _Those_ students don't have a deal with you, and I don't like crowds." Ian told him. "If you wanted who will easily come to you to do your work I'm sure one of your fan girls will gladly take my position."   
"Keep being a baby about it and maybe I'll give it to them."   
Ian's grip on Barley's assignments tightened as annoyance filled his heart. He held out the paperwork for the larger elf to take. "Whatever, here. I finished everything, even the short paper."   
Once Barley took the work from his hands, Ian picked up his own back and began to take his leave. However, before he could Barley had grabbed his by his wrist. He didn't squeeze to cause Ian pain, he just held him in place as he looked over his work. Ian eyed Barley carefully, waiting for the larger elf to like what he sees and let go. The small elf begins to believe that might be out of the question when Barley tosses the work down next to his bag and turns to him. 

"Huh, looks like there isn't a need to replace you." He says pulling Ian closer. "You did a pretty good job Ian.  
Ian remained silent and as his face heated up he lowered his head trying to hide his blush. He doesn't get much of an opportunity to when Barley lifts his head up by his chin. "So you like when I praise you. That's so sweet."   
"I-I'm ready to go home." Ian tells him. He takes a step back but Barley only follows him and moves forward. They go until Ian is backed up against lockers and trapped in by Barley.   
"Oh really? You sure you didn't stay this long for the reward I promised you?"   
"N-No!" Ian insist and Barley laughs.  
"Liar, I bet it's been on your mind all day." Barley pressed Ian's arm against the lockers to keep him still. "I saw you watching me in the ring."   
"E-Everyone watched you." Ian managed to hold back a moan as Barley rubbed along his ear again.   
"But you were the only one trying to hide it." Barley's hand slowly began to move lower and lower. Ian wanted to say something but didn't have the control in his mind that allowed him to form words. "You still scared of me Ian? Or were you just hard and didn't want me to know?"  
Ian's knees nearly gave out as Barley groped him over his jeans. Ian looked up at the ceiling and refused to go on fighting how good he felt. He didn't understand why his body constantly betrayed him like so, but he never complained during. As he looked at Barley the larger elf began to rub on him. Ian shut his eyes and squirmed under his touch.   
"God, you're so fucking sensitive. You ever felt this good before Ian?" Barley asked and Ian nearly blurted out 'never' but his last shred of embarrassment didn't allow him to. Instead he stuck out his tongue and panted, hoping to get more air into his lungs. Barley continued to rub up on him and he grabbed Ian's chin and forced the panting sloppy mess of an elf to look at him. " **Answer me** baby."   
"...I-I..."

"Iaann!" Both elves suddenly heard Ian's name be called. Slowly Ian's mind began to put itself back together and he realized it was Sadalia who he forgot he asked to wait for him. "Ian! Did you find him? Are you almost done?"  
"Great," Barley scoffed and removed himself from the smaller elf. Ian took this moment to breath and process what had almost happened. "Looks like you have to go."   
Ian looked around the locker room before quickly grabbing his stuff. Ian kept his eyes glued to the ground as he threw his bag over his back. "Is that all for today?" Ian asked referring to Barley's assignments.  
The older elf remained silent before chuckling. "Yeah, yeah that's it. I'll have more for you soon I'm sure."   
Still without looking, Ian nodded to Barley and turned on his heel to walk off. "Hey Ian," The larger elf called to him and Ian froze and didn't dare turn around. "I have **much** more planned for you." 

Ian cleared his throat before quickly making his way out of the locker room. He fought to get past all the girls (whom he suddenly found rather obnoxious) who were waiting for Barley. When he spotted Sadalia, he hadn't slowed down as he walked by her.  
"Come on, let's go." he said.  
"Woah! You're in a rush." She said and scurried to get to his side. "What happened in there? Why's your shirt all loose?"  
"N-No reason, we'll talk about it later." Ian told her knowing he was going to need time to make up a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be out soon!


	5. Chapter 5

"This is ridiculous," Ian sighed as he flipped through the pages of Barley's notebook. "You barely have anything written in here, it's no wonder you can't study. I mean come on, why even-"   
Barley stuffs a fry in Ian's mouth, causing the smaller elf to fall quiet as he chewed. "Just get it done, alright? I just need like a page and a half worth of some response."  
Ian sighed as returned to Barley's notebook and ignored Asmund and Kladd's giggles. 

This had been the third time Ian's had to spend lunch with his former bullies and Barley. He still hadn't become used to it, but he knew how to carry himself whenever he was around all of them. He was quiet, quick, and the definition of unreadable. He did his best to never give Kladd or Asmund any real attention and he tried hard not to react to anything Barley did to him. Since the lower half of his body was hidden by the table, it made it real easy for Barley to snake his hand down to Ian and toy with him as he please. Whenever he was grabbed Ian either gave Barley a look that begged him to cut it out or he'd quickly excuse himself to hide away in the bathroom for a moment. Whenever he did that it meant Barley had gone far enough to make him have to take a moment and calm down.   
He hated yet loved when he did it. As cold and cruel Barley could be Ian still melted under his touch. A part of Ian questioned himself, as to why he was still letting this happen. As Sadalia said, he had a strong doubt Barley would really spread his sensitivity around school. Who would he really even tell? He did like that Barley kept him safe from Stora's and other bullies' wrath, but the homework was the exchange for that. Ian didn't know what Barley was getting in exchange from making Ian tremble under his touch. Maybe he had a thing for seeing smaller people messed with too just like the others, but his form torture was different. He did things that left Ian wanting more. 

He tried not to think too much into it as he scribbled down the last half of Barley's homework. It was a task that could've been easily done but Barley must've just been being lazy. Even Asmund took notice.   
"You know, we could switch if you'd like." He said and Ian glanced up at him. "I got something that's a little hard but I'm sure it'll be easy for a nerd such as yourself. Why don't you let me do that easy stuff and I'll give you my work."   
Barley opened his mouth to speak but Ian beat him to it. "Yeah, I'm not doing that."   
"What?! Why not?"   
Ian rolled his eyes. "You used to steal my textbooks all the time and you literally just called me a nerd, what do you think?"  
Kladd chuckled as well as Stora, who decided to join them for lunch for reasons Ian knew nothing about. "He told you." He said and Asmund groaned.  
"Why are you here again?" Ian asked.  
"Because I want to be," Stora said matter of factly. "Why are _you_ here?"  
"Because I have to be."   
"Oh that's right," Stora smirked. "You're this guys pet now."   
"I'm not a pet." Ian said and his frustration showed. He turned to Barley and furrowed his brows. "Aren't you supposed to be defending me from these guys?"  
"Why? I don't see anything wrong with what they're saying." Barley joked but Ian's expression made it clear he didn't find it funny. Still Barley chuckled before turning to his piers. "Will you jackass's knock it off? He clearly doesn't like it."   
"I didn't do a thing!" Kladd says.   
"Thank you." Ian says as he returned to Barley's work.  
"You're welcome." Barley responded and Ian felt his cheeks go warm as Barley dragged his thumb across one of them, wiping off something from his face.

That was another thing Ian didn't understand about Barley...he could be so nice at times. He didn't do it often but there were times if Barley wanted Ian to follow him somewhere, he'd gently take his hand and pull him along. He didn't get it, just like he didn't get how whenever Ian finished an assignment and handed it over, Barley would give him the smallest smile while rubbing the outline of his ear. He'd warm up inside and lean into his touch unconsciously but he didn't mind. 

It _killed_ him how he didn't mind. 

Ian tried hard to remind himself about his place when it came to Barley. The LAST thing he needed was to begin expecting too much. If he got too high from it all, the crash would be terrible. After all, Ian knew Barley was no where near to his. There had been plenty of girls that Ian watched approach Barley and shamelessly flirt with him like it was nothing. It made his stomach turn, NOT because he cared but because he felt these fans of Barley were making fools of themselves. Most of the time Ian's mood was manageably content with Barley, but it always seemed to worsen whenever some chick came around.  
As if on cue, Ian's whole mood soured as he spotted a girl approaching from the corner of his eye. He knew the elf was female because of the way she swayed her hips to make her curves noticeable and her dress bounce. Ian, along with Stora, Kladd, and Asmund turned their heads to watch Althea walk over to the table. Ian mentally rolled his eyes as he noticed her attention was directly on Barley.   
"Hey big guy," Althea said and only then did Barley look up to acknowledge her. "You forgot this on your desk."  
She holds out a notebook and Barley smirks as he takes it. "Oh, thanks. You can just call me Barley."   
"First name basis already, huh? Can I tell Ms. Alvéraz that you'll be my lab partner next week then?" She flirts and Ian can't help but become frustrated with her existence.   
"Sure," Barley responds, sealing the deal to Ian's confusing anger. "Nice skirt."   
"Thanks." She chirps before winking and walking off. 

As expected Kladd, Asmund, and Stora began talking about the exchange and naturally Ian did his best to ignore them. He really didn't see the big deal about girls who were so willing to give themselves up to hot guys so easily. It made him sick that Barley entertained her too. He clearly didn't seem interested in her but he still allowed her to flirt? Ian would've just made it clear he had no interest...but as he thought about it, what if Barley was interested and he just wasn't making a big deal of it? What if there was something Ian hadn't realized about him just yet?  
Ian closed his eyes and took a breath. He decided to put the thoughts out of his head and just focus on finishing the work in front of him. He was about to finish the last sentence before he made a mistake. He groaned and reach for an eraser but in the process, he knocked over a carton of milk. Ian gasped and immediately went to save the work instead of his own clothes. Luckily, before anything could spill on him, Stora stopped anything from spilling over with a napkin.   
"Hey! Watch what you're doing." Stora said and shook his head.   
"I-I...I'm sorry." Ian said and glanced at all of them. "Sorry, I must've gotten distracted."  
"Distracted? Maybe...more like jealous?" Asmund said and Ian's eyes widened.   
"What?"  
"I'm just saying, that's what it looked like when Althea walked over."   
"WHY would I be jealous of Althea?" Ian asked a little harsher than he wanted.  
Asmund shrugged and Kladd chuckled. "You tell me."   
"...I'm not jealous." Ian said before stacking up Barley's work.   
"That sounds like something someone jealous would say." Kladd said. "Don't it?"  
"Of course it does, I mean we could be wrooong..." Asmund dragged out and Ian felt heat rush to his ears knowing the elf was going to continue. "But maybe Ian's starting to really like-"  
"I'm _not_ jealous!" Ian shouted before he turned to the larger elf next to him. " _Barley!_ "  
Ian pouted and waited with desperation in his eyes for Barley to stop them from teasing him. He was stunned when all he got was a wide smirk and amused eyes. "Are you?"

Ian's eyes widened for a split second...before he shoved Barley's work towards him, stood up, and quickly made his way out of the cafeteria ignoring Kladd's laughs and Barley's calls. He left the loud room and hoped the noise would stay behind but it temporarily followed as the cafe door opened as Barley followed him.  
"Ian...Ian!" Barley called. Ian glanced behind him before scoffing and continuing his walk. It wasn't long before the larger elf did catch up with Ian and grab him by his arm, forcing him to come to a halt. "Hey, I'm talking to you."   
"So what? I was trying to tell _you_ something back there but you just laughed at me with your annoying friends." Ian snapped and he knew he was no longer in control of hiding his hurt. What bothered him the most was that he felt like a child for being hurt, for not receiving the attention he clearly wanted but refused to admit to himself.   
He crossed his arms and faced away from Barley, making the larger elf pull at Ian hoping to get him to turn around. "Awww, that's how you're gonna be?"   
Ian remained silent as he glared at Barley. Only when he turned away once more did Barley wrap his arms around Ian's waist and pull him closer. "Fine, I'm sorry for not defending you when they called you jealous. You know those idiots were only joking around."   
"Well I didn't find it funny." Ian stated as he tried wiggling himself out of Barley's grip to no avail. "And I have nothing to be jealous over, so yeah your friends are _idiots_."   
"Oh Ian, you can fool everyone else with your innocent looks and clever tongue, but you'll never be able to hide the truth from me." Barley told him and pulled at Ian's chin so the smaller elf was forced to look into his eyes. "I can even see it right now. You hated the way that girl approached me, you probably hate her whole existence about now."  
"N-No, that's not true-"  
You **are** jealous," Barley told him and Ian fell silent, hoping Barley wouldn't make him speak his truth. "But you don't have to worry Ian, there's enough of me to go around."  
Ian contorted his face. "If you're interested in her then why not just ask her out and leave me alone."   
"Because it's kinda fun toying with girls like that too; but you Ian? You're my favorite one of them all."   
As the words came out of Barley's mouth, Ian felt his heart skip a beat before it dropped. Ian was a favorite...amongst others. There were others Barley messed with and Ian wouldn't be surprised if that meant they were being held by him too. A tiny pain in Ian's chest emerged and slowly started to grow. He didn't like it and being here with Barley only made it worse.   
Ian stopped trying to free himself from Barley. Instead he stood still, knowing naturally Barley would become confused with the sudden lack of interest and release him. As predicted, it only took Barley about five seconds to realize Ian was done playing.   
"Hey, what's wrong with you all of a sudden?" He asked and lifted Ian's chin once more. This time, Ian looked at Barley for a mere second before removing himself from his large hands and stepping back.   
"Nothing," Ian said before pushing past Barley. "I have to go to class. Bye."

  
The rest of the day went by way too slow for Ian. It seemed every period just dragged on and it bored him to no end. His teachers just seemed out of energy and tired of being there themselves. He was sure it was also the weird feeling in his chest that was making him see everything this way. Ian wasn't able to go more than ten minutes without Barley crossing his mind as well as what he said. The thought of Barley entertaining his fan club of girls would fill his head and his heart would speed up as the pain in chest would grow. He hated it so much, and he wish he didn't feel this way but he couldn't help it...he was jealous.   
Ian didn't get himself at times. He knew Barley was popular, and he knew the larger elf was a big deal, especially to the girls of the school. He should've known Barley wasn't going to give all his attention to him. He was stupid to even think he'd receive half of it. The deal was Ian does his homework and Barley protects him from bullies, nothing more. With that being the case, Ian was seriously considering telling Barley that he'd feel more comfortable if there was much less touching between them. Ian was just gonna keep getting the wrong idea and it'd just keep upsetting him. He didn't want whatever this feeling was towards Barley to keep growing, because it would surely become a huge distraction. 

The day was just about over when Ian decided he was going to tell Barley the physical part of whatever weird partnership they had going on was over. He just didn't want to give Barley all of him, because if the larger elf had others he was messing with, that means Ian was just being used like he wasn't worth a thing. It made him angry to think Barley would think of him in such a way, but it also saddened him to think this was the same guy who used to take his hand or pet him whenever he did well.   
As Ian sat in the locker room after getting changed, he put on his sneakers and thought about how he'd phrase it when he was ready to tell Barley. However, before he was able to make a definite decision, he heard footsteps getting closer towards him. For a moment he sat confused because all of his gym classmates had already left, but he groaned to himself when he saw Barley appear from around the corner. 

"There you are, I haven't seen you all day where've you been?" Barley asked sounding slightly annoyed.   
"How do you keep finding me?" Ian asked trying not to sound just as bothered.  
"I'll always find you," He said. "Remember that."   
"Yeah I know, I know," Ian said as he tied his laces. "If I'm not around when you need you're assignments done you'll-"   
"It's not always about that." Barley said as he walked over and lifted up Ian's foot with ease. He began finishing up tying the shoelace and seeing him do it made the pain in Ian's chest return.   
"Yeah, well maybe it should be!" Ian said before pulling his foot away and standing up. "I don't want to be your toy anymore. You can't just play with me whenever you want when you can just go mess with someone you actually like."   
"Is this still about Althea?" Barley asked. "God I told you, you don't have to be jealous over her didn't I? It's not like-"  
"I'm _**not jealous!!**_ " Ian snapped as he stomped his foot. "There's **nothing** to be jealous over because I **don't** belong to you. You said it already didn't you, that you have others to toy with, so go pick one and leave me alone!" 

Ian took in deep breaths after his outburst. This had had to be the second time the same persons been able to push Ian to his limit. As he stood with his fist clenched he felt no fear but instead anger with the larger elf in front of him. A part of Ian wished Barley knew what he was currently feeling about him but even if given the chance to allow Barley to see, Ian wouldn't take it because that would be allowing Barley to see that he got to him. Instead, right now Ian tried holding his ground as he watched the little bit of patience left leave Barley's eyes as the elf stood up. Ian suddenly was reminded by how big Barley was and the silence of the locker room reminded him that they were alone. 

"U-Um..." Ian began to back away as Barley approached him with a look in his eye that screamed danger. "H-Hey...Barley-"   
"Save it." Barley told him. The rumble in Barley's voice caused Ian's courage to leave his body. Naturally he began backing away but stumbled back on the bench he forgotten was there. As he tried to get back up, Barley pushed him back down and held him in place. The smaller elf didn't dare move and though he knew by now Barley most likely wouldn't ever strike him, he was capable of so many other things. "You know what comes next right?"  
"I-I don't get it," Ian mumbled and shook his head. "Why do you choose to do this to _me_? Isn't there anyone else?"  
Barley scoffed and Ian whimpered as he watched Barley lift his shirt. Ian tried to pull it back down but the larger elf grabbed and held his wrist together. "You know there's others I could simply rely on for my work _and_ others that would do anything I ask of them. I could've probably fucked half of the girls who throw themselves at me by now too, like some sort of scumbag."  
"D-Don't!" Ian whined as Barley played with his nipples. The smaller elf closed his eyes and tried thinking of anything that would keep him from turning into mush, but Barley made that so hard. Ian cursed his body as he slowly fell under Barley's spell.   
"I could've let those animals have their fun with you and went on acting as if I never knew about it," He told Ian as he undid his zipper. Ian slightly bucked under him, and it wasn't clear if it were to get Barley away or ask him to come closer. "But I didn't, because I had a feeling about you Ian. You see while everyone else was busy making it too easy, you make it **fun**. You're weak but you still try pushing me away and fight me on things you don't like. You talk big at times, but you forget your name when I get my hands on you. You glare at me, but melt in a puddle when I look at you back." 

Ian gasped as Barley yanked both his jeans and boxers down. He immediately tried closing his legs but the larger elf didn't allow him to. Instead Ian hid his face in his arm, trying to hide the immense embarrassment he felt. He flinched when he felt Barley dig his nails into his waist but even though it hurt Ian still found himself leaning into the pain. He was exposed and it was new along with terrifying but the thrill made him weak in his knees. Ian tried his best to steady his breathing and he just hoped Barley wouldn't take anything too far. He started to consider possible outcomes of how this will end but his mind went blank and shock set in as he felt Barley's hand wrap around him. Ian's eyes shot open when he looked down and saw his most sensitive part of him in someone else's hand, someone much LARGER at that.   
When he looked up at Barley, the larger elf immediately started stroking and Ian was no longer in control of his limbs or minds. "B-Barley...pleeaase.." He moaned and he wished he could've said more but his mind was focused on other things.   
"You see Ian? Can you see why I chose you? You can be a hassle at times, but when you look at me like that.." Barley leaned down and licked at Ian's neck. " _This_ is why you're my favorite, and why bother playing with anything else, new or old, when you've already established what's the best?"  
Ian arched his back and tried his very best to keep his voice down. When Barley released his wrist, Ian immediately went to grab at Barley's shirt. He bit his lip and his eyes became teary as Barley continued to stroke him. He was so close and it became clear to the large elf too.   
"Don't you dare turn away from me when you come," Barley told him and quickened his pace. "I wanna see every inch of your pretty-" 

"Yo! Barley!" Someone had suddenly shouted and their voice rung through the locker room. Ian gasped and was halfway snapped back into reality when he realized the familiar voice belonged to Asmund. "Barley you still in here?"

"Ah great," Barley sighed and rolled his eyes. "What?" He shouted back and with every second that past Ian's panic slowly grew.  
"Stora, Kladd, and I are about to head out." He said. "Are you coming?"   
"I'm a little busy right now." Barley responded and Ian felt a small amount of relief. "Just go on without me."   
"Alright, by any chance do you have my phone charger? Kladd swears he doesn't and I kinda need it. My phone's on the verge of death."   
Ian watched Barley grunt and shake his head. Before Barley could answer, Ian tugged at his shirt, grabbing the larger elf's attention. "Don't let him come over here!" He whisper shouted.   
It was a simple request, a request Ian felt didn't need an explanation. But from the way Barley looked at him, it almost seemed as if he didn't care for Ian's request. "...Yeah, I have it." Barley called back out to Asmund.  
"Oh cool! Where are you?"   
"All the way in the back." Barley said before turning to Ian to watch the panic wash over him. "Come get it."   
"N-No!" Ian cried out softly. He tried squirming away in attempt to clean himself up, but instead Barley hoisted Ian into his lap and held him close. "W-What're you doing?!"  
"Admit it," Barley says. "You were **jealous**."  
Ian's eyes widened, completely taken aback that Barley was choosing to do this now. "Are you serious?!"   
"Dead serious. I wanna hear it come from you." Barley said as he began tugging at Ian again.   
"P-Please..." Ian tried focusing less on how good he felt and more on Asmund's approaching footsteps. "Please don't do this to me."   
"You did it to yourself," Barley told him and Ian was losing patience. "Now say it."   
"But Barl-"  
" **Say it**." He demanded and Ian lost it.   
"F-Fine! I was jealous! Okay?!" Ian says trying his best to keep his voice down and it only makes him more upset. "I hate Althea for behaving the way she did and I hate you for being so cruel!" 

Ian didn't bother fighting the fresh set of tears that rolled down his face. He hid himself in Barley's chest and as his emotions took over him he tried not to think about how good the larger elf smelled. He was so embarrassed he could die. Barley was just too much for him at times and this was one of those times. He hated that the larger elf was able to get him like this and he wished knew the limit as to how far Barley was willing to go, but apart of him was starting to worry that there was no limit.  
Either way, he had no time to think about it. He could feel Barley sighed and pull Ian closer to his chest.   
"Actually, I don't have it Asmund." Barley shouted and the third elf's footsteps came to a halt.   
"Aw what?! Seriously?" Asmund called back sounding disappointed.   
"Yeah, I thought I did but I don't." Barley said. "Ask Stora, he borrowed it after me."   
"I knew it; alright thanks man. See you later!" 

Ian fell quiet as he listened to Asmund's footsteps slowly disappear. He felt a huge wave of relief wash over him, but he wasn't completely out of the woods yet.   
"Hey," He flinched as he heard Barley call to him. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at the larger elf with heart broken eyes.   
"...What?" Ian asked as he sniffled and wiped his chin. He must've looked like a baby, and if so it would make sense why Barley looked at him as if he were made of porcelain.   
"I wasn't gonna really let him see you." He said as he wiped some of the tears from Ian's cheeks. "Come on, don't cry."   
"I-I'm...I'm not crying."   
"Sure," Barley chuckled and pulled at Ian's chin. "You're a terrible liar."   
As Ian was guided closer, he realized what Barley was about to do and even though his heart filled with joy, it scared him. He quickly turned away before Barley could give him a kiss. The large elf scoffed before chuckling again. "So you'll let me hold your dick but I can't kiss you?"   
Ian remained silent. Barley was right, the science of the situation was weird, but Ian wasn't sure what that kiss would do to him mentally, even when he knew it would've meant nothing to Barley. The older elf sighed and snaked his hand back down to Ian's hard on. "You're such a baby." He said before biting at Ian's neck.  
Ian yelped as he felt it all come back again. His grip tightened on Barley's shirt and he focused on the feeling of Barley's teeth and tongue on his neck. Apart of Ian wanted to get used to this, and he knew that was a dangerous wish but he still wanted it. He whimpered and hid his face in Barley's chest once more as he came harder than he had before. He rode out his orgasm before collapsing in Barley's lap.  
Barley held Ian in place as he did his best to fix him up. Afterwards he looked at sticky substance on his hand before licking it off. "You're so troublesome...but so fucking cute it almost pisses me off."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be out soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Ian had always been pretty good at hiding his feelings. He used to be able to use his expressions as a guide to his lies. If someone were to ask him if he was feeling alright, he'd put on his signature smile and get them to instantly believe he was fine, even if he was angered or saddened on the inside. If he really wanted or needed something from someone, he was a master at pouting and batting his eyes to get it. People loved it, especially Sadalia. Ian wanted her to be his partner for a science project that was completely optional. Though she really didn't want to, she cooed sweetly when he gave her his best sad eyes.   
"Awww, damn it I hate how smart you are!" She said and punched him in his shoulder. "Fine, you're lucky you're just too adorable at times."  
"And you love me for it." Ian chuckled.   
He had gotten used to people calling him cute or adorable. He didn't exactly see it himself, but as long as it was seen in a good light as well as beneficial to him, he didn't mind. It was rare for Ian to be broken down enough to show what he was actually feeling around people. He mainly stayed truthful with people like Sadalia, his mother, and a handful of teachers...most of the time. 

But ever since Barley's shown up, Ian can't seem to use his magic power like he used to. 

Barley seemed to see _everything_ , and Ian really didn't understand how. The larger elf would just look at him and know exactly what it was Ian was thinking and how he felt. It bothered Ian to no end, because if there was anyone he needed to use his gift on, it was definitely Barley. The elf had become more testy and touchy with Ian after their last interaction in the locker room. It had been a week and Ian _still_ struggled to look Barley in the eye. Whenever the older elf saw how Ian behaved around him, he'd merely laugh and continue to pick at him. He'd grab him in his arms when he caught him alone. If they were in front of others, he'd mess with Ian where no one could tell it was Barley that was making Ian squirm where he stood or sat. Kladd and Asmund had questioned him about it on a number of occasion and luckily before Ian would have to answer, Barley would scold them.   
One thing that really shifted Ian's perspective on his relationship with Barley was how easy it was for the elf to get what he wanted. "Come here." was all Barley would have to say and Ian would scurry on over. He rarely fought back against anything the larger elf wanted. He hated to give Stora his credit but to an extent he was right, Ian really did behave like a pet. He tried to work on it, to fight against it within himself, but once Barley spoke Ian bended for him at will. The crazy part of it all was that the smaller elf was slowly starting not to mind; in fact...he kinda liked it. It made him feel special, seeing how Barley didn't call upon anyone else and most of his time was spent with Ian. 

However, there were days when Ian would have to step back and remind himself of who Barley was. He was dealing with the strongest, instantly popular, most intimidating but still intriguing guy in his school. To top it all off, he was an excellent boxer. Barley had one six matches in a row ever since he's enrolled in New Mushroonton. Everyone knew where he stood and every girl wanted a chance with him. Sometimes Ian was forced to watch Barley entertain some of them for a moment. Eventually he would get bored and walk off, but it was still enough for Ian to see and remember where he stood with him. 

Ian was just the pet that did Barley's work and sometimes got rewarded for it. As much as he'd like to think he was important, you can only love a pet about so much. 

  
Although the reality of it did bother Ian a little, he refused to mope around about it. He still doubted very much that he was anything like Barley's silly fan girls, throwing themselves at him willing to do anything to get the slightest bit of attention. He just assumed his sadness from the situation came from beginning to like the feeling of having someone new to talk to. Barley wasn't all hard all the way through, their were nice parts about him that he showed Ian; parts Ian was sure the larger elf didn't show others. Maybe because he saw a friend in Ian too, or maybe simply because he knew Ian wouldn't go around spreading his business, who knows.   
Either way, Ian continued to do what he was asked and did his best to emotionally detach himself from anything dealing with Barley. It was hard at times, but Ian reminded himself why he was in it. Not only did Barley keep animals like Kladd and Asmund away from him (even though they weren't much of a problem anymore), but Ian noticed things began changing for him around the school as well. People noticed him more, an he knew it was because he was always around the larger elf. Sometimes the stares made him uncomfortable and the glares he'd receive from girls aggravated him, but did like that some people were nicer to him. 

"Hey." Gregory, a classmate of Ian's, had turned to him in class one day and nodded.   
Ian looked around him, wondering if he was talking to him. Once he established he was, Ian waved. "Uh, hey."  
"Ian right?" He asked. "I'm Greg."  
"I know, we were in geometry together last year right?"  
"That's right." Greg said. "I just gotta tell ya, I was always curious about you. So smart but so quiet and constantly getting picked on but taking it like a champ!"  
Ian chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's me."   
"If that's you...why do you hang around that big guy all the time? He's your boyfriend or something?"  
"N-No!" Ian was quick to correct him and Gregory chuckled. "He's just someone I'm helping out with his dumb assignments, that's all."  
"Wow, that's awfully nice of you." Greg turned to Ian. "Well, watching you interact with him has really made you the new talk around here."   
"Really? What for?"  
"Because everyone's realizing you're not as soft as we thought," Gregory shrugged. "No offense."  
"None taken, I had it coming." Ian shrugged back.  
Gregory had laughed and held out his hand. "Well Ian, it seems you have a lot on your plate so if _you_ ever need help with anything, you can always ask me, as a friend."   
Ian smiled and took Gregory's hand to shake. "T-Thanks! It's nice to finally actually meet you Greg."

Ian's had a couple of interactions like that and quite frankly he was hoping for more. He was talking to people he's always known without actually knowing them and it was a nice change of pace. Sadalia noticed all the attention and told him to never forget about her when he's all big and famous. He simply laughed and told her no one could ever climb to her level. She was overjoyed to hear that, just like Ian knew she'd be. Apart of him wished he could tell her the full story about what's been going on between him and Barley, but it was still just too embarrassing to bring up. I mean, how would he even start?  
For now, he tried not to think about it. He was currently in his last class of the day which was gym. This was the one class where he didn't exactly go above and beyond. He did what was asked of him and that was literally it. He didn't really have friends in this class. Sadalia's class was held at a different time than him and most of the people in his own he wasn't too familiar with. Most of the time, Ian stood on the side and waited instructions. In the back of his mind, he always hoped that they weren't going to be doing an activity or playing a game that was kind of aggressive. 

Unfortunately for Ian, he didn't hope hard enough. 

The minute the coach announced they were playing elimination dodgeball, Ian groaned, along with the other handful of people who didn't want to play but had no choice if they wanted a good grade. As he looked around the gym, he noticed a lot of students were actually pretty excited. Ian hated these kinds of games. He was quick on his feet, but he wasn't a good thrower, nor did he like the thought of not being on teams. Odds were, the stronger kids would look to immediately get the weaker ones out. That put a huge target on Ian.   
He was about to ask the coach if he could possibly sit this one out, due to an "upset stomach", but as he opened his mouth, a whistle went off...and it had begun. Ian immediately ducked as the first ball came hurling directly at his head.   
"Hey!" Ian snapped at the kid who merely shrugged. Headshots really weren't necessary, but apparently others felt they were and that was quickly proven when the same student who tried taking out Ian was struck in the back of the head. Ian gasped as he watched him go down before running to a corner. To anyone else, this was probably just all a game, but for Ian it was nothing of the sort. He knew if he were to get struck hard enough with one of those balls, he'd bruise and feel it for a while. He tried keeping his head together and he ran and ducked behind some bleachers. 

He took the moment to breath and look around. This was when he'd strategize to see what he can do to possibly get out unharmed but he didn't have many options. The only one he could think of was wait till most of the class had finished targeting each other and when there was only one standing, he'd come out and ask the winner to just tag him out. He'd just have to hope the winner wasn't some jerk with a craving for hurting the weaker.   
"Oh man what am I gonna do?" Ian mumbled to himself as he watched his class play.  
"Hiding out?" Someone had suddenly spoke from behind Ian and the small elf jumped. He spun around and saw he wasn't the only one who chose to hide behind the bleachers. Another elf was seated on the floor behind Ian, and he looked bored out of his mind as he scrolled through his phone.   
"What?" Ian asked him.   
"Hiding? So you don't have to play this stupid game?" He asked without looking at Ian.   
"Uh...yeah." Ian responded. "I-It's not my thing."   
"I think the coach only picked to do this today because he had nothing else planned for the day. Quite frankly I think it's a boring game. I was gonna chill here until I had no choice to play."   
"Oh, I had similar plans." Ian told him before looking back out at the class. Still less than half of the class remained. "I-I don't know about it being boring...I just don't wanna get hurt. I'm not exactly built like these other guys."   
The elf stared at Ian for a moment before he hopped to his feet. "...You're Ian, right?"  
"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry but I don't know your-"  
"I'm Soren, and I'm gonna help you stay alive in this thing." The elf smirked as Ian's eyes widened.   
"What?"   
"Yeah, I mean why not? Odds are we'd be a pretty good team. You're pretty clever and I got a good arms." Soren pointed out but Ian still looked hesitant. "We both don't wanna play, but they're gonna find us sooner or later."   
"...Can't we just wait till later?" Ian asked and Soren chuckled.   
"Nah, I don't think so. Come on!" the other elf said before grabbing Ian's hand.   
"W-Wait!" Ian shouted but before he knew it, Soren had dragged him out from behind the bleachers and into the game. 

Ian's immediate reaction was to hide behind the other elf. He knew he looked like a child but at the moment he didn't care. The other students had seemed to become much more vicious and Ian refused to be a victim of their force. "Are you crazy?!" Ian asked Soren as the elf just stood there.   
"No, I just think our partnership will liven things up." He said and as a ball rolled over to them, Soren picked it up. "Here, watch this."   
Ian watched as Soren pulled his arm back and with great force he threw the rubber ball. He winced as he watched it hit some guy directly in his spine. "Woah...is he gonna be okay?"  
"He'll be fine, it'll just sting for a little." Soren said as he grabbed for another ball. "Now, it's your turn."  
"I-I can't throw!"  
"That's fine, what I need you to do is be my second pair of eyes. Use that clever brain of yours and guide us where to move."   
"I don't understand, how am I supposed to do that when all I see is--woah duck!!" Ian shouted before grabbing at Soren's shoulders and pulling them both down on their knees.   
A ball had flown straight over their heads, one that would've surely hit Soren. Ian sighed but heat travelled to his face when he realized he still held onto the elf in front of him and they were way closer than needed to be. Soren on the other hand didn't seem bothered at all. Instead, he smirked and gave Ian a pat on his back. "See? Just keep doing that and we'll be fine." He told him before standing up and chucking the ball right at the same kid who through his at them. 

Ian stood up and took a deep breath. Now that he understood what his goal was he felt he could do it properly. As told, Ian became Soren's second set of eyes. He told him exactly where to move and when to move depending on the actions of the other students. While he did what he had to, Soren delivered on his half. Ian was genuinely impressed by how many kids Soren had hit. They had all been clean shots, and he hadn't missed one. The longer they lasted in the round, the more Ian genuinely found himself enjoying their partnership. In fact, he could almost say he was having fun.   
As Ian watched Soren take out yet another student he chuckled. "Nice one!"  
"You're not too bad yourself." Soren responded before spinning Ian out of the way of another ball and chucking one back at the attacker. Right after Soren's last throw, another ball rolls over to him and he picks it up. However, he doesn't do anything.   
"What's wrong?" Ian asked him and Soren indicated to the wide open space in the gym surrounding them.  
"We're the last ones." He said and Ian noticed he was right. They were the only two standing.   
"Wow, we did it." Ian turned to Soren and smiled. "Thank you."  
Ian held out his hand and it was clear Soren knew he was asking him to just tag him with the ball and be done with it so he'd win. However, Soren didn't move and that worried Ian. Was the other elf planning to strike him down just like the others? It would've been completely unexpected, seeing how Soren seemed nice...but nothing was impossible and Ian knew that. Just as more possibilities filled his mind, Soren tossed the ball in the air. Ian watched it go up and come down...bouncing gently off Soren's shoulder.   
A whistle went off and Ian looked back at his coach. "Ian wins!" He shouts and the class claps.   
Ian turns back to Soren who laughs. "You should see your face right now."   
"I-I'm just surprised! That's probably the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me in this gym." Ian admits.   
"Well, you gotta friend who's willing to be your partner every time now." Soren tells him and shags up his hair. "Don't worry about a thing."   
"T-Thank you." Ian smiles and allows himself to be embedded in the warm feeling taking over.   
"Alright, round 2. Let's go!" the coach shouts and everyone runs to pick up a ball.   
Ian turns to Soren. "Um...do you think we could..."   
Soren chuckles and fixes loose strands of Ian's hair. "What did I just tell you, we're gym partners now. ALL of these games we'll be winning together."   
"Cool." Ian said trying his best not to sound as excited as he really was. He stood close to Soren once the coach blew his whistle, signaling the games start.   
"Ready?" Soren asked as he pulled back his arm to throw a ball.   
"Ready!"   
"One, two, t-" 

*WHAP* 

Ian gasped in absolute shock as he watched a ball bounce off Soren's face and the elf fell backward. Before he could hit the ground, Ian tried his best to catch him to cushion the blow.   
"Soren!" He shouted and everything seemed to stop. Ian waved his hand in front of Soren's face, wondering if the elf was really just as out of it as he looked. "Soren! Soren can you hear me?!"  
Ian sat Soren up and he watched as his new friend struggled to keep it together. He looked like he didn't even remember where he was or what he was doing. "Wow...now... _that_ wasn't...me." was all he said before he collapsed again.   
"Soren!" Ian gritted his teeth as he looked around the room to see who could've possibly thrown that ball. As he glanced through faces, it seemed they were just as confused as he was, clearly knowing none of them had the strength to throw a ball _that_ hard. 

However, Ian finally saw him. He stood by the doors, as if he just walked in and decided to participate. Barley wore a mean glare over his face and he had another ball gripped tightly in his hand, as if to throw another just in case his first didn't land. Ian's eyes widened as he struggled to process what just happened. He was also struggling to understand why Barley looked at him as if he wanted to tear him apart...

  
"What is _wrong_ with you?!" Ian asked and groaned as Barley clearly seemed unbothered by his actions.   
The large elf continue to look everywhere but at Ian, as if the smaller elf was being annoying. "I literally don't know what you mean." Barley told him.  
"I'm **talking** about that!" Ian snapped as he pointed down the hall towards the gym. Barley looked over to the room and glared back at Ian.   
"I **still** don't see what you mean."   
"Barley you-"  
" **Who** was that?" Barley suddenly growled and walked towards Ian.   
The smaller elf flinched at the question and took steps back. "W-What?"   
"Who _was_ that?" Barley repeated himself. "Why was he with you like that?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about! Soren's just a friend who agreed to be my-" Ian's next set of words caught in his throat, and he wondered why he was even about to let them out. He looked up at Barley and slightly squinted. "...Why?"  
"What?"  
"Why do you care who that was...who Soren is." Ian asked and Barley scoffed, taking a step back.   
"I don't." He said firmly. "I just didn't understand why you were so happy to be protected by him, as if I'm not already doing that job."   
"He was only trying to help me, but either way that's irrelevant." Ian spoke with the same amount of firmness in his voice. " _Our_ deal is that I do your homework and you shield me from Kladd and the others, **no one** else."   
For a moment Ian felt good as he watched something that looked like utter shock flash in Barley's eyes. He tried his best not to show his sudden nervousness when the shock was gone and was replaced with aggression. "Oh, so _that's_ how you wanna do this." Barley growled and took a step toward Ian. 

The smaller elf barely had time to process what could happen, but before Barley could do anything the sound of a nearby door opening up alerted them. Ian gasped, knowing it was the nurses office. Although free to go home, he didn't want to leave until he found out if Soren was really going to be fine. Barley had only stuck around to pester Ian and convince him he had nothing to worry about, but Ian still had to be sure.  
Before he knew what was happening, Barley grabbed at his arm and pulled him into the room directly behind them. As Ian was pulled in, he noticed it was dark and the room was full of mops and cleaning supply.   
"What're you doing?!" Ian asked. "This is the janitor's closet!"   
"Shut it." Barley demanded and covered Ian's mouth. Once he was silenced, both of them were able to hear the nurse and principals conversation right outside.   
Ian stilled himself and moved closer to the door. Now that he thought about it, this actually wasn't a bad idea. Odds are the nurse wouldn't really tell Ian the truth if there was really something wrong with his new friend; she was another person who felt he had a soft heart that could only take so much. In this moment he hated that he's never actually had a long enough conversation with her to show he wasn't exactly the same on the inside.

Well...except when it came to the school's newest boxer apparently.

"So no concussion then?" The principal had asked. Ian listened through the door as best he could.   
"No, nothing like that. His body just wasn't ready for the blow." The nurse responded. "He should be ready to go home in about twenty minutes...as long as he isn't still confused on direction."   
"See? Looks like your little friends gonna be fine." Barley grumbled and Ian hated that he sounded disappointed.   
"That still doesn't make what you did ok." Ian whisper snapped without turning to look at Barley. 

Ian grabbed a fist full of his shirt and twisted it in his hands. He hated that he had to go through this right now. Even though he wasn't hit, his head was swirling with emotions. Apart of him felt giddy and liked that it seemed as if Barley was jealous. It sent heat through Ian's body to believe that the larger elf might actually only want Ian for himself. However, a voice in his head was telling him that he was playing himself and that Barley's already shown him that he doesn't have interest in making him his one and only. Even though he only toys with the girls that chase him, it still reminds Ian that Barley has options. Not that he would want it to happen, but he felt that since Barley hasn't already picked him...that mostly likely meant he was going to eventually pick one of them. 

"You can't do this anymore." Ian spoke softly, afraid that if he raised his voice it would crack. "It's not fair. I can do whatever I want."   
"...Why?"   
Ian's heart skipped a beat as he glanced back to Barley. "Huh?" His heart then dropped when he felt Barley press his back against him and bring his arms around to Ian's front. "W-What're you-"   
"Why can't I do this anymore?" Barley asked him as he brought his hands under Ian's shirt. Ian gasped when Barley pulled it up and the cool air hit his chest.   
"W-Wait...wait!" Ian whisper shouted. He tried bringing his attention to the voices that were still right outside the door. "B-Barley they're still here!"   
"Answer me." Barley demanded and Ian's knees nearly gave out as the larger elf grabbed him in his jeans. "This is something you really don't want?"  
"I-I didn't mean this." Ian bites his lip to keep himself from moaning.   
"So you admit you like it."   
"That's n-not what I meant either!" Ian said. "L-Leave me alone."   
"...impossible." Ian thinks he heard Barley mumble but he could've been wrong. Ian crossed his legs when Barley undid his jean zipper and pulled his pants down. Ian covered his mouth as he looked down and watched as Barley stroked him. It was so weird yet exciting for him to see someone else grab his dick. He closed his eyes and did his best to stay quiet but they shot open when he suddenly felt something press against his ass. He gasped little to loud and squirmed to get away but Barley held him in place.   
"B-Barley w-" Ian wasn't given the opportunity to finish before Barley clamped his hand over Ian's mouth. He slips his other into the back of Ian's boxers. Ian's voice is muffled and he squirms more as he feels Barley's wet fingers touch him.   
"Stay still." Barley whispers as he parts Ian's legs and slips his middle finger into the smaller elf. Ian's body immediately begins to shake and his eyes widen as he tries to understand the situation. He was in the janitor's closet, with the principal and nurse standing right outside of it, and his voice was cut off to Barley, who was currently playing with his ass...and it felt _good_.   
Ian leaned his arms against the door and opened his mouth, allowing his tongue to lick at Barley's hand. He was glad when the larger elf removed his hand and instead stuck fingers into Ian's mouth. He didn't complain or protest against them; he was granted more air and it felt nice how Barley played with his tongue.   
"You're so obedient." Barley told him as he continued to thrust his finger in and out of him. "It's almost like you're not really the virgin I thought you were."   
"W-What are you-" Ian gasped and arched as Barley slipped another finger in him. It felt weird for a minute before it made Ian melt into a puddle. His mind was no longer focused on his principal or even Soren, he could only think about Barley in the moment.   
"What's wrong Ian? You worried about me finding out you're actually a little slut who'll let anyone play with your almost laughably sensitive body?" Barley growled and Ian's eyes widened. "How long have you been hiding the truth from me?"

Without hesitation Ian bit down on Barley's hand. The older elf hissed and pulled his fingers out of the smaller elf's mouth. He growled and spun Ian around to face him. He lifted him up and shoved his back against the door. Ian had forgotten about his principal and nurse but he had stopped hearing the voices a while ago so he prayed that meant they were gone. Instead, he focused on how fucking amazing Barley looked in the dark when he was angry. It washed out any feeling of regret Ian had for biting him.   
"I am **not** a _slut_." Ian told him and did his best to hold his scowl even though his body showed he was on fire.  
"Says the kid getting fingered in the janitors closet."   
"You brought me in here." Ian pants as he talks. "Why can't it be you who's a slut?"  
"...Shut up." Barley tells him before he reenters both of his fingers and presses harder against Ian as the smaller elf shakes and cries out.   
"T-Too fast!" Ian whines and digs his nails into Barley's arms but it doesn't make the larger elf let up.   
"Who else has seen you like this?" Barley demands to know. "Who knows about this side of you? Who?!"   
"T-There's no one else!" Ian insist and closes his eyes. "Honestly, you're being so possessive for no reason. Y-You don't even want me so why do you care that I tell you you can't stop me from talking to w-whoever I want." 

For a minute, all of Barley's actions come to a halt. Though he can still feel the larger elf's fingers buried inside him, Ian was given the chance to breath and allow the air to make it's way to his brain. Through hooded eyes he looked at Barley, and he could've sworn the elf was making a facial expression he hadn't seen before. There were a couple that Ian was sure he was the first to know about and this might've been another. It only seemed as if over his face, Barley wore...shocking guilt.   
However, before Ian had the chance to speak on it or ask him what was wrong, Barley began thrusting his digits into him again. Ian was forced to bite down hard on his lip to keep his body from shaking from how rough Barley was being and to keep from screaming his name. It was something that would've given the larger elf power over him. Either way, there was only about so much Ian could do to hide how he felt about Barley playing with his ass. As said, it was new but it was something Ian's mind told him to remember just in case he never got this lucky to feel this good ever again. 

"I need you to listen to me and remember this well. You're right, I have no right to tell you who you can and can't talk to, but believe me when I saw this." Barley told Ian as he purposely pressed against the smaller elf's most sensitive parts. Ian arched and his eyes rolled back as he came from Barley hitting his prostate with no mercy. He watched as Ian's body twitched and he released him, sending the small elf falling to the floor since his legs were still to weak to hold him up. Barley kneeled down in front of him and held Ian's chin up so he could look into the set of large doughy eyes. " **No one** will ever do it better than me." 

With that, Barley left the closet, leaving Ian to think about what he just heard, what he just experienced, and to piece together how he was gonna regain the strength or courage to leave the school. He also was left to think about the shocking guilt he saw in Barley's eyes and the hopeful part of his soul wanted to know exactly what it meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long, next one will be out soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I intend on making Barley a boxer lol. Next chapter coming soon.


End file.
